Those that have met him know but none could freely help because of the symbol he possesses.
"He is a man." They'll say. "Therefore, it is his duty to provide, to lift the burden alone because that's what real men do."
No one needs to care much about him because he ought to be a man. His feelings are meant to be tamed and he should be more logical than emotional. That's how things should be done.
As he moves around each day working in a furnace or doing a menial job on a hot day, no one sees him. Even with a shoe, white shirt, tie and black coat on him as he holds on to an envelope in search of a job, no one notices him, or maybe they do but don't care at all. Still, he never gives up. He knows well the responsibility he has to shoulder and he has to do them with pride. Those thoughts keep him motivated each day as he goes hustling in the bustling city without rest.
"Man must survive."
All alone with his thoughts, he'd work day and night for the family he has now and the one he has to bring forth to the world. Memories of his life are always filled with work and work like a robot with no feeling or pain. Whatever he goes through in life molds him and may even perfect him in some ways.
Truly, being a man isn't an easy job. This is why it is necessary to appreciate the men in your lives. Teach them how to love by loving them first and let their memories be filled with something they'd not only be proud of but also bring out the emotion in them.
Do all these for them so that when they get old and all alone in their thoughts with their hands on their cheek on a gloomy day, they can look back to those good old times, smile and be glad they are men.
What do you see?
I see an old man in a black and white picture wearing a cap and a coat as his hands carefully rests on his cheek.
What do you feel?
I can feel his emotions because I have been there too. Those eyes, unmoving, are lost in thoughts of the world and more.
This is my response to Freewriters picture prompt.
Still yours truly,
Balikis.
Thanks for reading.
Peace be unto those who crave it and more to those who chase it away.